Author: Ali

How many times has someone asked me, “What’s you purpose?”
“What do you really want in life?”

As someone who leads dreams and goals to others I feel like I should have the answers. I should know what I want and I should have a clear vision, right?
Wrong! And it’s OK! You do not have to know everything in the future now.

I used to have a very clear vision of how I saw my self in 10 years. My five year was in sight, and I was striving towards my one year.
And then shit hit the fan.

When I was 25, I made a huge life-changing decision: I moved across the country, away from my entire family and my closest friends, I gave up my job, and I dove head first into a deep relationship, to start a brand new life in a new city.

I was anxious and it was difficult to make some of these choices, but it didn’t matter because in that moment I was following my heart, I was excited and I was passionate. I had no idea what was coming but I was thriving off new experiences and the unknown.

And then I failed!
I FAILED!

Walls around me came tumbling down and I was alone.

For a few months I hid. I was 27 I was alone in a big city with very few close friends. In my mind it was too late to start over, but I also knew I couldn’t revert back to my old lifestyle in the south and I definitely couldn’t continue with this negative snowball effect of events surrounding me.

So I did what I needed to, and after a little time I made yet another big decision:I started over again.

For the past five years I have been given a gift.
A gift of a new life, a new job: a job that pushes me, opens my eyes, and challenges me. This job supports me, it gives me opportunities I may not have otherwise found. It gives me space to be creative and let me try, TRY things on without judgment and this creates some of the most beautiful learnings I can truly discover for myself

Self-doubt.

Lack of confidence.

Fear of judgment.
Anxiety.
Excitement.
Passion.
Hope.
Connection

Those are just a few of the emotions I had walking into this retreat.

I won’t spoil it for my peers who will eventually journey through the same experience, but I can tell you I’m walking out with a brand new perspective.

I practiced: a lot!
Yoga, Meditation, Silence, No phone or social media.
I disconnected and let go.

I found myself. I found the purpose. My PURPOSE.
I feel the love, the joy, the possibility. And I want to spread the word.

I also coached, I listened, I shared, and I connected.
We exercised (alot), both physically [burpees, lunges, squats, dancing, yoga] and mentally.

We listened to shared stories from others, we laughed, we cried, and in the end we became one. [#Unity]
225 people and I could look every single one of them in the eye and really feel the love.

I am here to be an inspiration for those who need it and those who want it.

I love making zoodles (aka zucchini noodles), the idea of twirling that little knob around and seeing how long I can get the noodles without them breaking, and a healthy and low-cal solution to ordinary pasta. The problem is about an hour after I eat them I’m hungry again. The solution: a thick, high cal-high [good fat] pesto sauce to accompany my zoodles!

It started two weeks ago, when I was out at a bar for my friends birthday and someone gifted her a couple jars of almond butter. I’m thinking “Ok, I need to get to know this girl”. We immediately hit it off and started talking about recipes! She ensured me this was way easier than I thought.

In two weeks I’ve made at least 8 batches; altering and adding slightly different ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 400 degree.
Line pan with tin foil, spread almonds out and slightly salt.
Roast for about 7 minutes in the middle of the oven.

While the almonds are still warm, place in Vitamix and start to grind.
The texture will turn from a grainy flour, then to a paste, and after a while, you’ll eventually obtain a pourable creamy butter.

This is where you need to be really patient. It can take up to 20 minutes of just blending to reach your desired texture. I typically run it on low, and do other things around the kitchen while I wait.

Check on it periodically to scrape down the edges and then blend some more!
Once it’s creamy: this is the point where I throw in the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Another flavor I am digging:
1 tsp cacao powder and 1/2tsp espresso powder (also top of my list)
you can also add maple syrup to sweeten it up a bit (just a tsp is plenty)

Heat a large pan with olive oil, add in the minced garlic. Add in the spinach and sauté until wilted. Mix in the artichokes. Once everything is heated, pour in the cashew mixture, stirring well. Spoon into a dipping bowl, and finish with sriracha. Serve warm with tortillas or crackers.

Preheat oven to 350 degree.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, mix in baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Sprinkle in the zest from one lemon (I love flavor so I get as much as possible).

In separate large bowl, mash the banana. Mix in the sugar, and add vanilla. Juice your lemon and mix that in. Stir in the coconut oil.
Next, pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir well, and slowly pour in almond milk
Fold in the strawberry bits, and make sure they’re mixed around well.
Optional to add a little food coloring for color and fun!
Line muffin pans with liners, fill about ¾ way, sprinkle a little coconut sugar on top of each muffin.

-Preheat oven to 350 degree
-Line large baking pan with parchment paper
-If your are using oats, pulse in blender until you have a flour-like consistency.
-In large bowl, mix flour and peanut butter.
-Add in the apple sauce, and mix well, creating a dough mix.
-Sprinkle in cinnamon and any other spices (my dog love pumpkin flavor as well)
-Form a ball using all the dough and roll out on flat surface, until dough is no more than 1/4″ thick.
-Using cookie cutter, cut out shapes using all the dough. Place on pan and bake about 15 minutes.

-Steam potatoes and carrots in a pot for 15-20 minutes until softened
-In blender or food processor, pulse cashews into a flour; set aside
-Drain any access water for veggies and scoop all veggies into blender with ½ cup of milk; blending until smooth
-Add in cashew flour, nutritional yeast, ACV, and salt
-Add in in remaining milk and mix well.
-Pour sauce from blender into a medium size pan on medium heat, bringing it to a boil. Reduce heat and whisk continuously until the sauce thickens to your desire consistency.

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About Ali

Hey, I'm Ali, a Georgia transplant settling in southern California. I lead a very active and healthy life style. Cook with me as dish up vegan sweets and hearty dinners. Follow along as I explore new terrains and continue to check off my never ending bucket list.